One Last Battle
by Obliterwrite
Summary: One day, an Inkling much older than the average Turf War player enters the ranked lobby in the Deca Tower. Surprising the local inklings with unbelievable skill, it is soon revealed that this old school battler has abandoned his normal life to chase after an old dream. But is he really ready to leave everything behind?


**A/N: **As I was going through ideas for my next story, I noticed an unused idea I had back when I was outlining Old Hatreds. Since I had nothing else to work on I thought i'd give writing a one shot another go. As usual, Splatoon is owned by Nintendo and this is just a fanfic.

* * *

**One Last Battle**

As the sun set on a busy day, Inklings from all over the world started to turn in for the night.

However there was one hard working Inkling who was far too busy.

He had things to tie up and more to pack up.

Everything he had in his office had to go, the presentation boards resting against the walls, the coffee mug he used so often, the picture of his wife and daughter taped to the monitor…

As he finished packing, the Inkling calmly headed for the exit, his footsteps resonating on the marble floors.

"So you're actually leaving?" A voice rang out.

The Inkling didn't turn around as he was already familiar with the voice. As for the question, he had already prepared an answer long ago..

"Yes" he said.

"I don't get it." the other Inkling continued "you've always fit in perfectly around here, I've never heard anyone complain about you. If I had asked I bet everyone would agree that you're an important part of this company, that we'd need you."

"That's the thing…. This company might need me, but it isn't what I need."

"Then what is? Tell me Gregg, what do you want? A larger office? I can get you that!"

Gregg sighed, listening to his boss' attempts at getting him to stay.

He had already considered this many times before, he wasn't going to stop now.

"I'm sorry… I enjoyed working here, but I've made my choice. Tomorrow I'm leaving Automo city and taking a flight to Inkopolis. Goodbye."

* * *

**Inkopolis Square.**

"Rainmaker, rainmaker, la la la!" a cheerful bright green Inkling hummed as she skipped through the square.

She called herself Neon, a wild and free spirited Inkling who did whatever she felt was fun and never held back, most importantly she loved battling more than anything.

She was good at it too, in fact she rarely lost a battle. Ever since her first ink battle, Neon caught on very quickly, her aim was spot on and she could even sense when someone was trying to sneak up on her, you could say she had a natural talent for turf wars.

Normally she wouldn't be alone, but today, the friends she normally hangs out with were all busy. Oh well, that wasn't going to stop her from playing ranked battles.

After all she just watched Off the Hook announce a new 'X' rank along with some kind of special icon for the top 500 players.

She didn't know much about it, but whatever it was, it was a challenge and to her, challenges are fun!

That rank was as good as hers.

Neon skipped over to the Deca tower, greeting familiar Inklings as she passed by.

In the lobby she could recognise certain Inklings as she had fought them plenty of times in the past.

However, there was one strange Inkling she had never seen before, yet stood out from the rest.

"Sorry! Excuse me… sorry!" This one Inkling didn't look anything like your normal Turf War player.

He didn't carry a weapon set nor an Ink Tank, instead he had a large suitcase with him.

His brown hair was just thrown to the side like a comb over.

He wasn't even wearing proper gear, instead he wore a dark grey suit and tie with polished dress shoes.

Not only that, but he looked like he was in his mid to late thirties.

Even though there was no age limit for ink battles, most Inklings stopped playing turf at that age.

Neon watched as the strange Inkling bump his way through the lobby, before somehow tripping on his own suitcase.

"Pfft" Neon snorted, fighting the urge to laugh out loud.

She could hear other Inklings suppress their laughter as well.

As for the clumsy man, he rubbed his head then stood back up, picking up his suitcase and headed into a locker room, his suitcase being caught in the door during the process.

'_Not exactly a brilliant start.' _ Neon thought.

Forgetting the weird scene she had just witnessed, Neon continued to the ranked battle lobbies and soon found herself among other Inklings waiting for a match to begin.

In the waiting room were seats for eight Inklings, a screen in the middle showed the names, faces and ranks of all those present.

As she waited with four other Inklings one of them whispered.

"Psst hey… Did you guys see that old timer in the lobby?"

"Oh yeah, what a clown, is he trying to start playing turf wars at that age?" another replied.

"It's like seeing my dad try to act fresh."

"I think I saw him enter the ranked battle lobby as well."

"Well then, I guess we might see a walking midlife crisis soon!" Neon joked.

She and the other Inklings laughed as they cracked jokes at the strange man in the lobby, before three more names lit up on the screen, those three Inklings joined them, they were then split into teams and sent into a splat zones match.

Neon had done thousands of these by now, with expert handling of her Custom E-Liter 4k and accurate estimations of enemy behavior, she didn't let anyone out in the open for more than half a second.

An easy win for her and her team.

Neon soon found herself back in the ranked battle lobby, waiting for a second match to start.

It shouldn't take too long since her previous one just ended.

She was alone in the waiting room, before two more Inklings arrived, their names, ranks and pictures of themselves showing up on the center screen.

Then finally one peculiar face showed up, next to the name 'Gregg'.

The picture it showed was the adult who tripped over his suitcase earlier.

'_Hold on a second, that guy is here?'_ Neon wondered

The other two Inklings noticed it as well.

"Oh, that guy is joining us?" one of them said as he looked around the waiting room. "Where is he?"

"Isn't it a bit early for a mid-life crisis?" the second Inkling joked.

The laughing stopped when they heard another Inkling enter the room.

Gregg silently took a seat across from the other three Inklings, not saying a word.

"Wait a second…" Neon muttered.

The Inkling sitting in front of him was that working man from the lobby?

What was with his sudden appearance change?!

Gregg wasn't wearing that office attire he wore earlier, instead he wore a leather sleeveless jacket over a tank top, which exposed the tattoos he had on one arm, he was also wearing leather pants, his dress shoes had been replaced with spiked boots, he even changed his comb over to a slick hairstyle.

Neon never saw clothes like that used in turf before, it made Gregg look like some old rock star.

Slung across Gregg's back was a long and scoped weapon, it appeared to be a charger and it looked very similar to Neon's own Custom E-Liter 4k, a long weapon with a tanker on the rear, however Gregg's charger had a brass barrel and certain parts were painted red and white.

It was another item Neon had never seen used in Turf, maybe it was an old discontinued weapon? Maybe all his clothing was also old discontinued gear.

"A blast from the past." Someone muttered.

Gregg seemed to take no note of the comments other Inklings were making of him and waited patiently for the match to start.

Soon enough it did.

Neon found herself in Humpback Pump Track, playing Splat zones again.

As the teams hopped out of their respective spawn points, Neon looked to her side and noticed Gregg wasn't on her team.

Her teammates noticing the same thing, began to joke about Gregg's strange appearance.

"What is he a time traveller or something?"

"I bet he just woke from a coma and has no idea what is happening."

Nobody seemed to take Gregg seriously.

Neither did Neon.

Neon's team was green, just like her, while the opposing team was purple.

As soon as the match begun, Neon fired uncharged shots to paint a path to a vantage point.

From here she left a squid beakon and then checked for enemies.

Her E-liter didn't use a scope as she didn't need it, her eye sight was good enough and having a scope only reduced her awareness.

Spotting the enemy team come hopping and swimming towards the splat zone in the middle, Neon quickly charged a shot and splatted the first enemy she saw.

Her target tried to switch back into squid form and escape the moment they noticed her targeting laser but failed.

Neon, having taken cover and hidden as soon as she shot, popped back up for a second shot, this time however, as soon as she took aim, she noticed a white line pointing at her.

Someone was taking aim at her!

Neon fired and tried to hop back into cover but instead she found herself back at her spawn.

'_Wait… what just happened?'_

Did someone splat her with a Charger?

She had dueled with countless other Chargers before, but whoever this one was had the quickest aim ever, Neon was barely visible for half a second and she got hit.

Now that she knew someone like that was out there, she was going to be a bit more careful.

Hopping back to where she left her squid beakon, Neon saw one of her teammates get splatted by a charger type weapon.

Neon tracked it's targeting laser back to its owner in nanoseconds and she lined up a shot of her own.

A clean splat, as Neon saw her target's gear flop to the ground…

'_Hold on a second… was that, the old guy?'_

The gear left behind was a white and red coloured brass charger.

'_Did I really get picked off by that guy?'_

Neon knew many Inklings, she was even friends with Agent 3, but none of them were a match for her in turf wars.

There was something more to this strange Inkling joining ranked battles.

Neon deployed a squid beakon at her current vantage point, before moving on to a second, as her team had inked pretty much all the turf on their side of the map.

Dropping a second squid beakon, Neon scanned for enemies and splatted two more of them.

As for her team, they were doing their best, but the splat zone in the middle was still not under their control.

And Neon knew why.

She saw Gregg on the other side, rapidly sniping out her teammates as quickly as they arrived.

Neon did the same to Gregg's teammates and both teams were barely getting any ink on the center splat zone.

It was clear that both sides had immensely skilled Chargers backing them up.

Seeing as to how this match was going nowhere, Neon resolved to get rid of Gregg first.

As she spotted one of her teammates approaching, she knew Gregg would soon pop up somewhere to splat him.

Timing her charge and estimating exactly when Gregg would show himself, Neon started charging up a shot to full power. She didn't even need to know where Gregg was, she just needed to see a shot from him.

This was something she could do after countless hours of battle.

Without exposing herself, Neon could barely see a stream of ink take out her teammate.

Just as predicted, Neon had a fully charged shot ready the exact moment Gregg fired.

Tracking Gregg's shot back to him, Neon quickly poked her E-Liter out of cover and splatted him.

But as she did that, she felt herself getting hit by ink.

Gregg had managed to nook a second shot at her, it wasn't charged enough to splat her, but it still hit.

If anything, this confirmed Gregg's skill to Neon.

She hadn't felt this much of a challenge in a long time.

But she wasn't worried, Neon didn't like to worry because it wasn't fun.

Instead she got excited.

'_Alright! This is gonna be so much more fun than I expected!'_

During the short time when Gregg was respawning, Neon's team managed to take control of the splat zone, Gregg soon returned and attempted to clear the whole team, but when it came to splatting Neon the two traded shots and were both splatted.

The two would shift their focus to each other and the match soon became a sniper duel.

Sometimes another Inkling would go after Neon, but Neon had already developed a sixth sense when it came to that.

Everytime she lost track of one enemy, she would immediately check her sides and splat anyone trying to get the drop on her.

She used Squid Beakons to quickly change sniping positions every time she picked off four enemies, that way it would be harder to spot her and take cover. When she was sniping at the opposition, she would never poke out of the same place twice in a row.

Gregg had a similar style, never showing himself for more than half a second and always trying to change hiding spots.

It was a tough and close battle, but in the end Neon managed to get three up on Gregg and her team won the match.

'_Woooo! That was the most fun I've had in a long time!'_

Neon, slightly exhausted and sweaty, had a bright smile as she exited back into the ranked battle lobby.

"By the way, that old timer was quite something." Neon heard the Inklings beside her say. It was the same Inklings from the match she just played.

"Yeah, I mean who knew he could shoot like that?"

"If only he was twenty years younger."

"What are you some sort of fathercon?"

"Oh that uhh….. Hey Neon! Great shooting! Though next time we'll win!'

"Don't just change the subject!"

They seemed to have moved beyond the jokes they were making earlier.

_'Wait a second, where is Gregg?'_ Neon wondered

She had exited back into the lobby with all the Inklings she just played against, Gregg was there too, but he had vanished.

As she looked around, Neon saw Gregg already halfway into the waiting room.

"Sheesh, that guy really can't take a break." She noticed.

As the day went on however, Neon noticed that the Inklings had all stopped joking about Gregg's age.

In fact, someone started a rumor that a champion from the past had come back to turf.

So when Neon found herself waiting in the same room as Gregg and four other Inklings, she had to talk to him.

There was so much to ask, why did he arrive like some working man? What kind of Charger was he using? Where did he learn to shoot like that?

"Hiya!" Neon exclaimed, taking a seat next to Gregg.

Gregg jumped as he wasn't expecting such a loud voice.

"Uhh, hello..." he looked up at the screen briefly to find Neon's picture and name "...Neon." he said.

"I didn't get to say good game after we fought a few rounds back! So good game!" Neon said, giving Gregg a hearty slap on the back.

"Uh...Thanks." Gregg found it kinda weird how Neon was being so friendly towards him when he just appeared out of nowhere, but that was normal behavior for Neon.

"You know, I've never been pushed that far before! How did you learn to shoot like that? Is it true you are some champ from the past?" There was a slight hint of anticipation in Neon's eyes as she asked.

Gregg looked upwards with a nostalgic gaze and said. "Well I guess you could say that, back when A+ was the highest rank, I had a rep for being one of the best Chargers around. Though I quit fifteen years ago, I'm surprised my body still remembers how to use this old gun."

That made Neon wonder if Cap'n Cuttlefish could do the same.

"What kind of weapon is that anyways? I don't think I've ever seen it before and I spent a lot of time playing turf."

"I could tell, good job timing those charges by the way, it felt like you were ready to shoot every time I made a shot of my own."

"Oh thanks! I just kinda have a knack when it comes to this kind of stuff."

"Hah! I used to be the same! That's why I've always used this E-Liter." Gregg held up his brass charger.

"Wait that's an E-Liter?" Neon asked.

"Yes, well it's an older model, but it still works fine."

"Ohhh, is that maybe the 2k?"

"No it's just E-Liter, I think E-Liter 2k came afterwards."

'_A first generation E-Liter huh… That's old as heck! An old timer with an old school weapon! Actually maybe I should call him old school, instead of old timer… Yeah! old school sounds much better! Plus he isn't nearly as old as Arcus or Cap'n Cuttlefish…'_

As Neon created a nickname for this fellow Charger user, she began to notice the similarities between the two E-Liter's up close, Gregg's original E-Liter had a similar design to her own E-liter, both seemed to resemble gas pump nozzles with a tanker on the rear.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, why are you playing turf at your age?"

"Is there really a problem with that? There was never an age limit for Turf Wars, if you wanted you could even drag some veterans of the Great Turf Wars to come play."

"Oh okay."

Indeed there wasn't an age limit, Inklings just seemed to quit on their own when the time came.

Neon wondered if she would do the same, she did leave her hometown and family to come play turf all day, but what would she do once she got older?

'_Bahh, worrying is no fun!'_ Neon was the kind not to plan ahead or look back, all that mattered was enjoying the moment.

Suddenly two more names appeared on screen in the waiting room, followed by the two named Inklings arriving.

"Well looks like we're starting! Don't think I'll hold back just cause you're older!"

"Older? Hah! You mean more experienced!"

However Neon would soon find herself alongside Gregg and two other Inklings standing in their team's spawn.

"Ayy! Old school!" Neon greeted the mid aged Inkling.

Noticing her, the other two Inklings on their team greeted Gregg using the same nickname.

"Yo Old school!"

"Hope you're ready for this, Old school!"

"When did my name turn into 'Old school'?" Gregg asked

"Meh, Gregg sounds boring anyways!" Neon shrugged

"You really don't hold anything back do you"

"NOPE! My motto is to just do whatever you feel like doing! Restraint is boring anyways, so just do whatever you want! Say whatever you want! Shout whenever you want!"

Perhaps Gregg once had a similar motto, because he once again had a hint of nostalgia in his eyes as he saw Neon excitedly hopping about, waiting for the match to start.

As the match began, Neon noticed there were alot more blimps and balloons in the sky.

Then she noticed the amount of spectators had increased as well.

Maybe it was because of Gregg being an anomaly to the usual ranked battles, but there were many more Inklings watching his games.

They were probably all attracted by the rumors of a champion from the past reappearing in the Turf war scene...

It was interesting to see how a pro player of the past stacked up against the players of the present.

Neon and Gregg both dashed to the same spot at first, but then they noticed how bad this was.

"I'll go drop some squid beakons elsewhere kay?" Neon asked

"Okay, leave cover fire to me!"

Gregg popped in and out of cover as he picked off other Inklings.

Even though he had a scope, he made very little use of it, simply peeking through for a split second when aiming.

Neon, dropped some squid beakons in safe spots, so that if she needed to change cover, she could do so in a flash.

It would also help her teammates get back to the front.

Two chargers on a single team didn't seem like good team balance, but with Neon and Gregg watching the splat zone from different angles and both having near perfect aim, the match was easily in their favor.

The other team could barely show themselves before they were picked off, by either Gregg on the left side of the map, or Neon from the right side.

This looked like it would be a short match, spectators watched in awe as Gregg gave an impressive display of skill.

"STOP BATTLING!" Suddenly echoed throughout the map.

Neither team had won yet, and the round had only been going for a minute and a half.

"Wait what?! Time isn't up yet and neither team has won!" Neon complained

If there was anything that would annoy her, it was stopping a perfectly good battle.

"Someone is interfering with the match." Neon heard a reply from the ref.

"You bet we are!" came another voice.

Neon looked over and saw an Inkling holding a much younger Inkling by the hand.

The older Inkling was female and looked as old as Gregg, the younger squid was still too young to fully transform, but she was already looking a bit humanoid, with this appearance one could guess that she was probably four.

"Gah! Aris! M-Mae!" Gregg seemed to recognize the two. "W-what are you doing here?"

"You're going home to Automo! Now!" The older Inkling shouted

"No! I'm not!" Gregg protested.

Neon and the other Inklings approached each other, regardless of teams and whispered while watching the scene in front of them.

"What's going on?" one asked

Neon watched Gregg argue with the Inkling he called Aris, with the words family being mentioned a few times.

"Just a family reunion." Neon told the rest.

"Daddy is acting like a kid!" the little squid said, pointing a finger at Gregg.

"Did mommy tell you to say that? Or did Aris?" Gregg shot back

The small squid nodded, making Gregg glare at Aris.

Aris instinctively looked away, but turned back to face Gregg immediately. "That aside you need to take a good look at yourself! What are you doing abandoning your job and family to come flying back to these games?"

'I'm doing what I want! I've loved turf wars before and I still do!"

"So you've left everything else behind? What would the rest of us think? I'm already beginning to think you are an embarrassment! I can't believe I'm related to you!" Aris shouted.

"Well sooooorry sis! But frankly I don't give a squit about what you think!" Gregg shot back.

'_So Aris is his sister? And she's brought Gregg's daughter with her? Why is it such a big deal if Gregg plays turf?' Was all Neon could gather from this argument._

"I won't go! Not until I'm done here!" Gregg declared

Aris' teeth made a 'krit' sound as she clenched them a bit too hard, then she opened her mouth…

"And what about your wife Hira? You're just going to leave her while she's in the last stage of pregnancy!?"

...and dropped a bombshell.

This prompted a collective gasp from nearly everyone watching the battle.

Even Neon, who often appears to take no interest in anything but turf, looked surprised.

Gregg however wasn't fazed.

"I've thought about this over and over, you know… It wasn't an easy decision, but I've already had one kid, even if I never see the second, I'll have no regrets."

"No regrets? What are you? unhappy with your family or something?!"

"This isn't about family! This is a lifelong dream!"

"What?"

"You should know sis, you've seen me play turf before haven't you? I always wanted to be the best at ink battles, to be recognised as a champion as soon I step into a match. Now that the top 500 players get an icon showing that they're the best, I can finally make that dream come true…" Gregg seemed to get calmer as he spoke about this, perhaps he was hit with a wave of nostalgia or it was just his feelings getting in the way.

"So what's wrong with me trying to chase that old dream anyways?!" Gregg demanded

"Because you have a life!"

"A life of what? Going to work day after day? Seeing the same faces all the time? Doing nothing but sitting behind a desk and watching the clock tick the hours away?"

'_That DOES sound boring…' _Neon thought, she made a mental note to ask Gregg what job he had so that she could avoid it at all cost.

Gregg sighed as he watched his sister be taken aback by his words.

"Yeah I know, maybe I should have talked with you, Hira and everyone else instead of just leaving a note and disappearing... But I'm done with all of you." Gregg said apologetically.

Perhaps he regretted leaving... Just a little.

Neon stepped up. "Hey hold on a sec Old school, you know you can always come back later, you know."

"Yeah, no need to toss your life away."

"Isn't that a tad over the top?" The rest of their team agreed.

Gregg shook his head "Thanks guys, but if I go back, I don't think they'll let me leave again." He turned back to Aris "Tell Hira that I'm sorry I couldn't be there for her."

"And what am I supposed to say? That her husband left her for some game that mocks veterans and inspires violence!?" Aris said.

That was one step too far for Gregg, Neon and the other Inklings in the match could see him swell up with anger, his fists clenching hard as a vein popped out on his forehead.

He loved turf wars and wasn't going to let his sister talk about it, that way.

"Who's being mocked?!" Gregg shouted "And what's this about inspiring violence!? Do you not understand Turf Wars at all?! It's not a mockery of anything! We've taken the war and turned it into a game, not to encourage violence, but to send a message! A message to everyone in the universe that Inklingkind will never have our happiness taken away by war again! That's why Turf wars are the heart of Inkopolis, no... the heart of our species. Because it makes us strong!" he said as he pounded his chest where his heart was.

"That's what you think." Aris remarked

"That's what everyone thinks, but you. Ask any veteran of the Great Turf War, I bet not a single one feels mocked by Turf Wars." Gregg insisted.

Aris didn't have much else to say.

At that moment she felt a tug on her sleeve.

"Auntie, please don't fight with daddy." squeaked the little Mae.

Aris looked back at Gregg "I still don't get it… Why do you want that top 500 icon so badly?"

"You don't get it? Well I don't really get it either… But I think it's because of ranked battles." Gregg nodded to himself "Yes, while ink battles are the heart of our species, ranked battles are a culmination of thousands of hours spent training and honing one's skill. The moment I enter a match, I feel compelled to give it my all. Sometimes things go well and when I see the look of joy on my teammates and the cheers of the spectators, that gives me a sense of accomplishment, something that no words can ever describe.

I want to be known as a champ so that I can feel that indescribable joy everywhere I go. Fifteen years ago it was impossible, but now it is."

"All because of that icon?"

"Yes."

"Is that what you felt was missing from your life?"

"Yes."

"And you're willing to abandon your wife only moments before she gives birth to your second child, just for this?"

"... Yes."

"... Fine then."

Aris relented, she looked disappointed in Gregg, but she didn't question him any further.

She took Mae's hand and headed back to the spectator box.

"Come on Mae, we're going home."

"What about daddy?"

"He's not coming with us."

"But you said daddy would come!"

"Well sorry, but things have changed."

"Can we stay and watch him?"

"No, your mother misses you enough already."

Gregg watched silently as his sister and daughter left the battle.

Though his face was solemn he seemed to be struggling with his choice.

"The match will now resume! All players return to your spawns!"

Picking up his E-liter, Gregg returned to his spawn alongside Neon and his team.

Neon didn't say anything, but she and the other Inklings all stared at Gregg.

He seemed deep in thought, it was as if his mind wasn't present.

"Are you okay?" Neon asked

"I'm fine, thank you." Gregg replied.

But Neon felt like he wasn't.

Neon and Gregg's team soon won the match regardless of the interruption, Gregg didn't look bothered at all.

"Yo! Great job Old school! At this rate you'll be up in the top 500 in no time!" Neon congratulated Gregg

"Right! Then I'll finally prove that I'm one of the best around!"

With that he hurried back into the ranked lobby, out of curiosity Neon followed him, hoping to join the same match as he did.

By this point, nobody cracked jokes about him anymore and Gregg was even welcomed by his new team.

Other Inklings even began talking with him, talking all about turf while Gregg told tales of what Turf was like when he was younger.

Neon unluckily, was playing against him this time.

Neon found herself in yet another tough sniper duel, with both her and Gregg making maximum use of their E-liter's range and picking each other off from across the map.

At first she prioritized taking him out, she let him make the first move and expose himself, then she splatted him with one well placed shot.

Gregg however wasn't planning on losing, knowing that Neon was prioritizing him and knowing where a Charger main would likely place themselves, Gregg baited Neon into changing spots before catching her out in the open.

As the battle went on, Neon and Gregg splatted each other constantly, many times they traded shots, both landing perfect hits on each other.

However, Neon, who pretty much devoted her life to battling, while also being younger and more fit than Gregg, managed to barely tip the scales in her favor.

Even though Gregg lost, he was still happy.

It felt good to be back, playing turf wars in Inkopolis.

No more boring office life for him.

"No wonder they say you're a champ from the past!" Neon said "That took all I had to just barely win, I wouldn't even care if I lost! This is just too fun!"

"I agree, a duel between two Charger users who know every trick in the book is quite rare, yet entertaining for everyone." Gregg replied

However Gregg started to feel something, gnawing at him from inside.

Was he starting to feel some sort of regret?

In their next match, Neon and Gregg were separated, then after that they were on the same team.

Just like before, Neon and Gregg covered their team with precise charger shots from different angles.

However, now that they were on the same team, Neon could see Gregg fighting up close and he didn't look well.

Though he seemed jolly in the lobby, he was battling through gritted teeth.

Then after they had won, Gregg had a glum looking expression from a brief moment, before he regained his senses and danced with his team on in the winners circle.

Neon, noticing all this figured the surprise visit from his sister might have shaken him up, she began to wonder how she could bring him back to focusing on ink battles.

After all, it wasn't everyday she could fight someone as skilled as him.

"Great job Old school! Since you chose to stay, that icon is as good as yours!"

Hearing this, Gregg straightened up "Right! Neon you are right! I've already made my choice! I'll be up there in no time!"

Gregg said that, but in the next battle Neon noticed something else.

Gregg's aim was off.

When she first dueled him, he would often trade shots with her and both would be splatted, this time however they were on the same team and Gregg seemed to miss much more often.

After two minutes however, Gregg seemed to regain his aim and their team won once again.

When the battle ended, Neon once again gave Gregg a heartly slap on the back and congratulated him, saying that these battles were the most fun she ever had playing turf.

Gregg had a distant look in his eyes when he finished the match, but he would soon snap back to himself when Neon spoke.

As she was having too much fun playing either against or with him, Neon once again tried to join the same ranked battle as Gregg did.

But once again something was off about Gregg, this time it wasn't his aim or his speed, but his reactions.

Neon watched as he released his trigger too late, often shooting where someone had just been a second ago.

It was almost as if Gregg was distracted.

"Hey Old school! What's wrong? You aren't normally this bad!"

"Huh?" Gregg exclaimed, he looked as if now he was paying close attention, but as he locked on to one enemy Inkling, he stopped for half a second before releasing his trigger.

"Hmm, maybe this trigger needs grease…" Gregg muttered

"Grease smease! Your reactions are off! Are you feeling sick?"

"Oh, maybe I'm just hungry… Yeah I'm going to grab a bite to eat after this…. That'll work."

As he said, Gregg did leave to get an early dinner after the battle.

Neon in the meantime, won four more matches before she found herself paired up with Gregg again.

"Got a full stomach? I hope not! You eat too much and you'll be too sleepy to fight!" Neon said.

"You don't have to tell me, I just had a seanwich and I'm good to go."

"Alright! So... I'll stick to one side and leave the other to you like before. This should be quick and easy!"

"Yes it will, a charger that knows what they are doing is one intimidating sight, two of them working together?… well you might as well give up."

However, Neon and Gregg found themselves on opposite teams when the match began.

They had been on the same team for so many rounds in a row, that Neon forgot they weren't in a squad.

Neon shrugged, she wasn't bothered, this just meant she had another challenge coming up!

"Oh well! Good luck Old school!" Neon shouted from across the map.

When the match began, Gregg knew he was going to focus on Neon again.

His old turf war days flashed before him as he rushed to a vantage point.

He knew that Neon would be waiting for him to make a move first and reveal his location, so he popped out of cover, letting Neon get a good view of his targeting laser.

Neon popped up for only a brief second to fire at him, but that was all he needed, he didn't fire at anyone else and held the charge back specifically for her.

He and Neon traded shots, both returning to their spawn points.

Neon had beaten him each time before, but not this time.

Neither of them were held back by their slow charge times as they almost never missed. They splatted other Inklings and each other with military precision.

Whenever Neon turned her attention away, Gregg would get the drop on her and if Gregg lost track of her for just a second, she would splat him.

Two experts with chargers, who had every trick up their sleeves met in combat.

Gregg and Neon were pinning each other down, while their teams pressed forward.

Gregg was lucky to have a better team this time, as he and Neon continuously put each other down, Gregg's team managed to capture all the splat zones.

Now all they had to do was hold it for a little longer.

'_Yes just a little longer'_ Gregg thought.

Though he had to admit, Neon put up a great fight, she was much younger than him, yet already fought better than he ever did now or in his prime.

But that would just make this victory even sweeter.

Neon had won all their previous battles, so he would feel a great sense of accomplishment if he beat her now.

Yes, nothing was bothering him, that little bit of regret he didn't even know existed, didn't matter one bit.

He didn't toss away his entire life to quit now.

After this battle he would have reached rank X and have a shot at the top 500 of turf wars.

It would then be undeniable that he was a champion of turf wars.

As he was busy daydreaming, Neon splatted him, forcing back to reality.

Gregg hurried back to the middle, he would have to watch out for Neon, both in this match and afterwards, she could definitely take that title and icon away from him.

'_Yes, no position earned from ranked battles ever stays.' _Gregg reminded himself_ 'That's why I must keep improving….'_

'_Wait… it doesn't?'_

Even if he did get into the top 500, it wouldn't be forever… So his goal of being a champion wasn't going to last...

Actually, wasn't he already a champion?

When Neon first spoke to him, didn't she say that rumors were circling around about how he was a champion from the past?

Could that also be why all these young Inklings stopped making fun of him?

What did he really want in the first place? It wasn't the top 500 icon, but rather the feeling of accomplishment when he was recognised for his skill.

But wasn't he already recognised?

As Gregg had an epiphany, the reminders of the life he left behind chose to strike.

He saw his boss pop up, asking him if he needed a bigger office, but Gregg shook him out of his head.

He saw his sister helping his daughter pick out clothes, but the sound of his E-Liter wiped them away.

He saw his wife, waiting for him at home, but she faded away as Gregg focused on an incoming enemy.

He saw a baby squid, a newborn…. squirming and crying in his embrace….

…

Gregg froze.

His arms numbed out and his eyes went wide.

He shook in place as he stared at the weapon in his hands.

"I can't do this!" Gregg shouted, as he ran for the exit, abandoning the match halfway.

"What's wrong? Wait don't just-" Neon shouted in response to Gregg's outburst, but he didn't hear her.

Gregg plowed back into the lobby and ran for the locker room, he shoved his E-Liter, and his current outfit back into his suitcase, while he changed back into his suit and tie.

By the time he was done, Neon's team had won the match.

Curious as to what happened, she looked around for Gregg and found him sitting on the steps to the Deca Tower.

He had his face buried in his hands, almost as if he was crying.

What had happened to him?

"Hey Old school? What's bothering ya?" Neon asked

Gregg didn't look up at her, but Neon still took a seat next to him.

"I lied." Gregg said

"That's fine! Everyone lies! Even I lie! Heck, Neon isn't even my real name!"

Gregg didn't hear what Neon was rambling about, he was too full of regret.

Regret that he thought he didn't have until Aris showed up, regret that only started to multiply after he was reminded of his soon to be born child.

"I do have regrets, my everyday life might have been boring and I do want to fulfill my old dreams…. but I love my family… I want to be there… I want to see the face of my newborn child."

It seemed like despite what he said, Gregg still hadn't completely made up his mind.

Neon could somewhat relate, she once had to make a tough choice involving Turf Wars too.

"You know, someone told me that life's greatest challenge is choosing between two things, when both mean everything to you. Looks like this is yours." Neon said

"No… Well you're right, but I've already made my choice. I'm going home to my family."

"Great! Don't worry about Turf wars, it isn't going anywhere! You can come back whenever you feel like it!"

Gregg shook his head "I've already spent a lot of money just flying here and renting a place to stay, I don't think I can afford to come back anytime soon."

"Oh! Don't worry! If you need money, I can spot ya! It might not look like it, but I have more than enough money!"

"You've just met me today and you're already offering to pay for a ticket back? HAH! I'm flattered, but don't worry about me, I don't think I want to come back anyways." Gregg said

"But what about your dream? That whole thing you said about being a champion?"

"It's done, history. You made me realize that I was already a champion before."

"Huh? When?"

"You said there were rumors of me being a champion of the past right?"

"Well yeah! Anyone seeing your age and skill would jump to that conclusion." Neon had just confirmed it.

That was his dream, to be recognised as such the moment other players saw him.

It had already been done.

Why did it take him so long to realize?

Maybe that was why he stopped playing turf in the first place.

"I think I'll catch the first plane back home, then I'll see if I can get my life back together." Gregg decided.

"Well alright then… It was fun playing with ya." Neon said

She had just met him today, but since he also used a charger and loved ranked battles, he felt like a close companion.

Gregg nodded "Thank you, I only just met you, but you feel like a good friend. You won't see me around here again. I'll be spending the rest of my life in Automo city."

That name struck a bell with Neon, she was familiar with that place but didn't say anything.

Gregg stood up and sighed.

"In the end I couldn't keep playing turf wars even if I wanted to, but that's just how it is. There aren't any real champions here, only those who have quit and those who have yet to leave. I hope you enjoy turf wars while you can."

"..I get it... See you around, old school… no, I mean, bye Gregg!" Neon said

'_All of a sudden I'm 'Gregg' instead of old school huh?'_ Gregg thought.

Neon's carefree self reminded him a lot of his past self, though that wasn't worth mentioning.

Right now he was just a family man and soon to be father of two young squids.

"Goodbye Neon." Gregg said

He picked up his heavy briefcase, containing all the gear he once used and he left Inkopolis Square for the first and last time ever.

He would use whatever money he had left to buy a ticket back home.

Later that night he would be on a plane flying to the east.

After a long flight, he'd be groveling in front of his sister, apologizing to his wife and asking his boss to take him back.

It wasn't as fun as ink battles, but it was the life for him.

.

.

.

* * *

_Gregg never participated in turf wars again._

_Although Aris and his family were still cross with him leaving, his wife Hira was glad he came back and happy that he had finally found closure for his past dreams._

_In the end, Gregg made it home in time to witness the birth of his son, adding another member to his beloved family._

_Eventually, Gregg managed to scrape his old life back together._

_Meanwhile his skill, combined with his sudden appearance and disappearance in Inkopolis hadn't gone unnoticed._

_It didn't take long for him to hear about the urban legend that had arisen from his short trip to Inkopolis._

_With his old dream fulfilled he hung up his old E-Liter for good and spent the rest of his days happily as a family man._

_Maybe someday he would teach his children to play Turf wars._

_End_


End file.
